What are the expats like in Chapala and Ajijic, Mexico?
David Truly - Dr. David Truly Ph. D.
I have written a dissertation on this topic, so I can summarize that the expats in Chapala and Ajijic are a very diverse group. The ones who stay the longest here are well-travelled, well-educated and open-minded folks.
We have people who come down from places like Toronto and decide to move here who might acclimate well or they might leave within 2 years. We have a lot of part timers who come down here for 4 to 6 months a year. Many of the expats who come...
I have written a dissertation on this topic, so I can summarize that the expats in Chapala and Ajijic are a very diverse group. The ones who stay the longest here are well-travelled, well-educated and open-minded folks.
We have people who come down from places like Toronto and decide to move here who might acclimate well or they might leave within 2 years. We have a lot of part timers who come down here for 4 to 6 months a year. Many of the expats who come here are teachers/educators, self-starters, and independent types of people or people who have traveled a lot.
For some expats, it is still a challenge because living in the Chapala / Ajijic area is still living in a different culture and even though the menus are in English and most of the Mexicans (not all) can understand and speak English, the people who come down here have to be relatively adventurous, open-minded, and ready to adapt to a new culture. The ones who stay here tend to leave their prejudices at the border. Those expats are the ones that I see do the best around here over time.
Roberto Diaz - United Country Panama Coastal Real Estate
Foreigners can start businesses in Panama, but of course, they have to be in the country legally. After that, some visas will allow you to start a business and / or work in Panama, and some will not. For example, there are many restrictions on what you can do if you have a retired person’s visa.
If you have the proper visa, there is no difference between you as a foreigner starting a business in Panama and a Panamanian...
Foreigners can start businesses in Panama, but of course, they have to be in the country legally. After that, some visas will allow you to start a business and / or work in Panama, and some will not. For example, there are many restrictions on what you can do if you have a retired person’s visa.
If you have the proper visa, there is no difference between you as a foreigner starting a business in Panama and a Panamanian citizen starting a business. You do, however, have to be concerned with are the laws about the ratio of the quantity of foreigners working in your business compared to the quantity of Panamanians. For example, if you were to open a McDonald’s, you could work in it and be the general manager, but you would have to employ a certain quantity of Panamanians for every foreigner working there.
In addition, there are certain industries in which you can’t start a business until you’ve been in the country a certain number of years. For example, as a foreigner, you can’t open a real estate sales company right away. (However, there are lots of people who do it illegally.)
If you want to legally open a business in one of the industries where you have to be in Panama for a certain period of time (once again, for example, the real estate business), you could partner with a Panamanian, and that would be acceptable.
To start your own business in Panama, you have to start our own corporation, which is a simple, easy procedure. It could take from 30 to 90 days, depending on the attorney. The fees are roughly US $1,500 to $2,000. Once you do that, you need your business licenses and your bank account. Then, you’re ready. Many, many expats have started businesses in Panama.
I found my paradise in Switzerland! I'm sure there will be a number of opinions as to 'what are the best places in the world to live' but, rather than speculate, let me share with you where I reside and just a few reasons why I have found Switzerland to be THE best place in the world to live.
Switzerland has an overall population of only 8 million people, which is roughly the size of New York city proper, yet has remained in the top 5 most wealthiest...
I found my paradise in Switzerland! I'm sure there will be a number of opinions as to 'what are the best places in the world to live' but, rather than speculate, let me share with you where I reside and just a few reasons why I have found Switzerland to be THE best place in the world to live.
Switzerland has an overall population of only 8 million people, which is roughly the size of New York city proper, yet has remained in the top 5 most wealthiest countries in the world since such statistics have been recorded. As a people, the Swiss are among the most friendly, respectful, intelligent and caring I have met anywhere. Their passion for precision and quality of life is second to none.
Switzerland is breath-taking. The air is clean and crisp, the water is pure and refreshing, the alps are stunning in their majestic beauty, the atmosphere is cool and the sun's rays are warm.
After nearly a year here I have yet to find my first pothole! Drivers are calm and relaxed, the roads are spectacularly built and maintained, the police are consummate professionals and emergency services rival the world's best.
Switzerland is prepared. Swiss law mandates that every man, woman and child have food, water, medical supplies and fuel for a minimum of 2 years in the event of any emergency such as a natural disaster or war. Every structure is required to have bomb shelters and no building permits are issued unless the architectural designs meet the demanding specifications of the respective canton (state). The cement in these shelters (where we live) is dense beyond imagination. When you pound on these blast doors you hear and feel a 'thud' that is void of any reverberation as if there were no air mixed in the cement at all, it's just 100% solid.
Switzerland is armed. Men, ages 18 to 50, spend three weeks per year in active military duty and are sent home with fully-automatic AK-47's and all the ammunition they can store. Switzerland boasts the lowest crime rate in Europe and is far more heavily armed per capital than America. Switzerland's armed forces are extremely formidable and built solely for defense. I am appreciative and respectful of the Swiss mentality and respect for human life.
Switzerland is healthy. The healthcare facilities and hospitals are an art form, literally. Lobbies have fountains, designer stained-glass, smoked privacy mirrors, soft secondary-lighting systems, beautiful artwork on the walls and fresh flowers. The number of staff far outweigh the number of patients and the care you receive is consistent from one visitation to the next. Public medical equipment and care in Switzerland surpass that of most private institutions in other countries.
Switzerland is home. It's enjoyable knowing you live in a country which places such a high-value on quality of life. If, as an American, you wish to live here and obtain citizenship - you can do so. With a minimum bank deposit of $100,000 (USD) it is possible to form a Società Anonyme (SA) and, along with personal assets in excess of $500,000 (USD) and 5 years of residency, you can obtain Swiss citizenship and passport.
How much does it cost for a housekeeper or maid in Belize?
Karen Wilkinson
To the best of my knowledge, where I live in the Corozal District in the northernmost district of Belize, the average rate for a housekeeper is $40 Belize or US $20 for about 6 hours. This would typically be for working from 8 AM to 2 PM. Most houses can be completely cleaned in that time.
For a gardener, the going rate is about $50 Belize or US $25 a day and those guys you can...
To the best of my knowledge, where I live in the Corozal District in the northernmost district of Belize, the average rate for a housekeeper is $40 Belize or US $20 for about 6 hours. This would typically be for working from 8 AM to 2 PM. Most houses can be completely cleaned in that time.
For a gardener, the going rate is about $50 Belize or US $25 a day and those guys you can just turn them loose; most of them are geniuses.
(To the right is a picture of the sunset in Belize, which you can enjoy instead of cleaning your house.)
The cost of living in Nicaragua depends on your lifestyle. When I moved here, I thought about it and asked myself what kind of life I wanted to live. There are people who come here and want to live like the backpacker; eco-style. More power to them. They have significantly less cost than everybody else. Then you have people who come here to retire and some of them have the mentality where they want to live like they do in the States but they are open to being more “Nica (following...
The cost of living in Nicaragua depends on your lifestyle. When I moved here, I thought about it and asked myself what kind of life I wanted to live. There are people who come here and want to live like the backpacker; eco-style. More power to them. They have significantly less cost than everybody else. Then you have people who come here to retire and some of them have the mentality where they want to live like they do in the States but they are open to being more “Nica (following the Nicaraguan lifestyle).” Then there are people who move here because they are either embassy families or they came here to start a business but have no plans of living here forever but they are planning of being here for at least 10 years. These people tend to have a more upscale kind of lifestyle. For example, they work for the UN or a big non-profit, and they have a pretty luxurious life here. If you are an embassy family or if you’re here from the US but you’re doing any kind of mission, they have such a nice kicked back life because usually their jobs pay for their homes, their guards to take care of the homes, their drivers, their cars, etc. They have a different lifestyle. They have their own paycheck that they can use to do things like travel, and eat. This group of people probably spends at least $10,000 a month because they live a really good life, they have several employees, etc.
Then there are people who come here to retire. From what I’ve heard from patients of mine, they live off of their retirement money or the pension they get. They make it work. They usually have their little home, which is either rented or owned. If they are expats and they came here with the idea of living here, they usually buy a house and they adjust themselves to the Nicaraguan lifestyle.
Then there are the eco people that are like backpackers. They are more inclined to try more native food so they are not looking to splurge on trying to make pho (Vietnamese noodles) at home or going out to eat at really nice places. They are more into the experience of being an actual native.
If you rent a house in a good neighborhood, you will spend around US $600 a month. For a couple, you can easily get by on $300 worth of food for a month. If you have a good live in housekeeper or maid, you will spend around 6,000 córdobas ($215) a month. So about $1,500 a month is enough to cover your rent, food, housekeeper, utilities, Internet, cable, and gas.
Utilities are expensive here in Nicaragua. Electricity is really expensive here and they charge you depending on the neighborhood in which you live.
(La Bastilla Ecolodge in a coffee plantation, Jinotega Nicaragua, pictured.)
The public doctors in Portugal are not very good because the public health system here is almost the same as the rest of Europe. You have to wait a month to get an appointment with a doctor and once you get one, the checkup is all done very quickly and is not very thorough. They give you lots of medicines because they want to get rid of you quickly. If you need tests done, you have to go to the National Health System and the queue is very long. You have to wait a week to get an...
The public doctors in Portugal are not very good because the public health system here is almost the same as the rest of Europe. You have to wait a month to get an appointment with a doctor and once you get one, the checkup is all done very quickly and is not very thorough. They give you lots of medicines because they want to get rid of you quickly. If you need tests done, you have to go to the National Health System and the queue is very long. You have to wait a week to get an appointment for the test. Then you wait another week to get the results and you have to wait another month to book an appointment with the doctor to show your results. It’s a long process. If you need an operation, you have to wait for almost a year in order to get the operation through the public health systems. This doesn’t only happen in Portugal. It is the same thing for the rest of Europe.
State doctors are state doctors, but private clinics are good. People who have private health insurance go to a private clinic that is covered by their insurance and they are very good. Anything private in Portugal works efficiently and well. I deal with a lot foreigners here in Portugal and most of them are pretty amazed by the service that they get from private doctors here. Even those foreigners who travel here and only stay for 6 weeks, prefer to be treated here than in England because medical care is cheaper and is of better quality here in Portugal.
In the period of less than half a day, our senses and emotions had experienced quite a workout. In the morning, we were on a ferry in the Sea of Cortez, headed towards Mazatlan. In Mazatlan, we were treated to an entirely new concept: jungle in an urban setting. From there, we had found the toll road, breezed through green and wooded highland farmland, and then gradually descended into a profusion of jungle, not only on the sides of the road, but overhead, as we glided...
If you’re considering a move to Colombia, here’s part of what you’ll need to know about taxation. First, a disclaimer. I’m not an expert, and there’s a ton of false information on line and elsewhere about Colombian taxes. To get the most recent, and most accurate info, consult a Colombian attorney who specializes in taxation law, and who is bilingual. Do not listen solely to expats who claim to know. Tax...
Panamá, one the smallest countries in the American continent, with just 3.5 million inhabitants nationwide, is one of the greatest countries in terms of importance, history and tradition.
The only place on earth in which you can scuba dive on both Pacific and Atlantic ocean the same day without getting on a plane. Great...ahh? The only one that joins the world through one of the Eight Wonders of the World...the Panamá...
I have written a dissertation on this topic, so I can summarize that the expats in Chapala and Ajijic are a very diverse group. The ones who stay the longest here are well-travelled, well-educated and open-minded folks. 
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I found my paradise in Switzerland! I'm sure there will be a number of opinions as to 'what are the best places in the world to live' but, rather than speculate, let me share with you where I reside and just a few reasons why I have found Switzerland to be THE best place in the world to live. .jpeg)
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Switzerland is home. It's enjoyable knowing you live in a country which places such a high-value on quality of life. If, as an American, you wish to live here and obtain citizenship - you can do so. With a minimum bank deposit of $100,000 (USD) it is possible to form a Società Anonyme (SA) and, along with personal assets in excess of $500,000 (USD) and 5 years of residency, you can obtain Swiss citizenship and passport. 
To the best of my knowledge, where I live in the Corozal District in the northernmost district of Belize, the average rate for a housekeeper is $40 Belize or US $20 for about 6 hours. This would typically be for working from 8 AM to 2 PM. Most houses can be completely cleaned in that time. 
The cost of living in Nicaragua depends on your lifestyle. When I moved here, I thought about it and asked myself what kind of life I wanted to live. There are people who come here and want to live like the backpacker; eco-style. More power to them. They have significantly less cost than everybody else. Then you have people who come here to retire and some of them have the mentality where they want to live like they do in the States but they are open to being more “Nica (following...
The public doctors in Portugal are not very good because the public health system here is almost the same as the rest of Europe. You have to wait a month to get an appointment with a doctor and once you get one, the checkup is all done very quickly and is not very thorough. They give you lots of medicines because they want to get rid of you quickly. If you need tests done, you have to go to the National Health System and the queue is very long. You have to wait a week to get an...
In the period of less than half a day, our senses and emotions had experienced quite a workout. In the morning, we were on a ferry in the Sea of Cortez, headed towards Mazatlan. In Mazatlan, we were treated to an entirely new concept: jungle in an urban setting. From there, we had found the toll road, breezed through green and wooded highland farmland, and then gradually descended into a profusion of jungle, not only on the sides of the road, but overhead, as we glided...
Taxation in Colombia: